NM-PASS New Mexico Preparing Autism Spectrum Specialists

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NM-PASS New Mexico ? Preparing Autism Spectrum Specialists

CFDA 84.325K Combined Priority for Personnel Preparation: Focus Area D: Training Personnel in Minority Institutions to Service Children, Including

Infants and Toddlers, with Disabilities Part III: PROJECT NARRATIVE The purpose of this project is to increase the number of highly qualified personnel to deliver quality services to students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds using research-based interventions for addressing the needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). As such, the emphasis of this program will be on developing competencies of professionals in the areas of appropriate identification and research-based interventions. It is the goal of the project to recruit, mentor, train, and graduate 21 students with a Specialization in ASD, in addition to a Master of Arts in their major field. These students will be highly qualified to intervene with CLD students with ASD. Because participants will have a public school service obligation at the end of their training, this will assist in alleviating the severe shortages of highly qualified special educators with specialized knowledge of children with ASD. (A)(1) Need for Project (2)(i) Extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and are addressed, including the nature and magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses National Need: The need for special educators with preparation and expertise to teach children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is evident in school districts across the United States. The 2008 American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE) report identified special

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education as a field with considerable teacher shortage in every region in the United States. The need for special education teachers is expected to increase by 17 percent from 2008 to 2018, which is faster than the average for all occupations. Although student enrollments in general are expected to grow more slowly than in the past, continued increases in the number of special education students needing services will generate a greater need for special education teachers (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010). According to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) Data Accountability Center, 12% of special education teachers serving children with disabilities age 3 through 5 and 11 % of special education teachers serving children with disabilities age 6 through 21 are not fully certified (IDEA Data, 2006). Boe and Cook (2006) suggest that the shortage of fully certified special education teachers will continue to grow.

The number of children with autism continues to rise and according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) (2009) the prevalence of children with ASD is 1:110. Other estimates report that 1:91 children have been diagnosed with ASD (Kogen et al., 2009). In 2007, 39,434 children 3 through 5 years of age and 258,305 children 6 through 21 years of age were served under the "autism" classification for special education services (CDC, 2009). With the prevalence of children with ASD increasing, it is critical to have highly qualified special education professionals with additional training, knowledge, and expertise in ASD. It is especially crucial for special education teachers serving the age 3 through 5 population, where 12% of teachers are not fully certified, to have additional training and expertise in ASD. The long term benefits of early intervention for children with ASD have been well documented (National Research Council (NRC), 2001). President Barack Obama has pledged continuing support of the Combating Autism Act (2006) and has promised additional funding over the next eight years to expand support for children, families, and communities affected by ASD.

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State and Local Need: The state of New Mexico reported that there are 46,384 students age 3 through 21 receiving special education services. Of these students 902 (1.94%) received special education services under the eligibility of "autism" (Easter Seals, 2009).

In New Mexico 8% of special educators serving children age 3 through 5 and 13% of special educators serving children age 6 through 21 are not fully certified to teach special education (IDEA Data, 2006). This is higher than the nationally reported statistic for special education teacher shortages. At New Mexico State University (NMSU) there are currently 85 teacher candidates in the Alternative Licensure Program. These 85 teacher candidates are currently hired by a school district in New Mexico to teach students with disabilities and are teaching with a provisional license. The increase in special education teachers who are not fully certified is due in large part to the increase in students meeting IDEA and state requirements for special education services. Relevant to this project is that fact that there are currently 24 openings (55%) for special education teachers in six school districts (Las Cruces Public Schools, Alamogordo Public Schools, Hatch Valley Public Schools, Truth or Consequences Municipal Schools, Deming Public Schools, Gadsden Independent School District), within the area that NMSU trains special education teachers, two of which are specific to autism specialists. Most districts reported educating their children with ASD in heterogeneous self contained classrooms or in inclusive programs (Cronin & Newtson, in press). Because of the placement of children with ASD in a variety of educational settings within the school districts, there is a critical need for training all educators, both general education and special education, on research-based interventions for children with ASD.

In November 2008 a survey was sent to 37 school districts in southern New Mexico. The purpose of this survey was to determine approximately how many children were identified with

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ASD in southern New Mexico, what services were available to families through the districts, what ability the school districts had in completing multidisciplinary evaluations for children suspected of having an ASD, and what support the university might provide to the community. Of the 37 school districts surveyed, 18 (49%) were returned. Based on the information from the surveys and the Child Count Information from the New Mexico Public Education Department (NM-PED), it is conservatively estimated that there are approximately 300 children with ASD in southern New Mexico. Survey respondents were also asked to indicate what support services NMSU could provide. All respondents requested training for school district employees (Cronin & Newtson, in press).

The following statistics demonstrate the student CLD in New Mexico:

All Students Students with ASD

Caucasian

29.5%

54.5%

African American

2.6%

4.5%

Hispanic

55.5%

32.4%

Asian Pacific Islander

1.4%

2.2%

American Indian

11.1%

6.5%

English Language Learners

18.5%

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Children with Disabilities

15.1%

-

Children Living in Poverty

23.8%

-

Children Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch

63.6%

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Table 1. Student Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in New Mexico (NM-PED, 2009a)

ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Even though the demographics for children with ASD do not mirror the demographics of the state, it is imperative

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to recruit personnel who are CLD to work with this population of children. There is an increased difficulty in diagnosing children with ASD who are CLD due to cultural beliefs, family values, and language barriers. According to Rodriguez (2009) CLD students with ASD have three major challenges: (1) language differences, (2) cultural differences, and (3) the disability. It is particularly difficult for CLD families to access services (Birkin, Anderson, Seymour, & Moore, 2008). Liptak (2008) reported that race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status affect the timely diagnosis of children with ASD. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to identify these children in need of early intervention. Having special education personnel who are knowledgeable about CLD families who are also dealing with ASD issues is of critical importance in New Mexico. (ii) Extent to which the proposed project will prepare personnel for fields in which shortages have been demonstrated

Despite the numbers of students identified with ASD, there is no state licensure endorsement in New Mexico for teaching this population of students. Children with ASD have unique learning needs. Teachers have commented that the needs of their children vary from day to day. One day it may be to work on communication and the next day following a classroom routine is most important. There are many variables affecting children with ASD such as communication deficits, social skills impairments, and behavioral challenges. This project will provide educators with the tools they will need to effectively teach learners on the autism spectrum, considering their diverse needs, abilities, cultural experiences, and learning styles, as recommended in the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Initial Practitioner and Advanced Specialist in Developmental Disabilities/Autism standards (2010), in addition to their special education teaching license.

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Based on the premise that successful teaching is grounded in understanding, there is a critical need to prepare teachers with the foundational knowledge and practical skills for educating CLD learners on the autism spectrum. This can be accomplished by blending the most up-to-date theory and research with effective, meaningful, and research-based practices to ensure that every child with an ASD receives the high quality education he or she deserves, regardless of cultural or linguistic identification (NRC, 2001).

Students with ASD, especially those with co-morbid conditions, are not easy to teach, given their significant learning deficits and behavioral excesses. These students do not benefit from traditional general education instructional methods, and many special education methods may not be sufficient (NRC, 2001). These students require educators who possess the unique skills needed to provide clear and functional instruction and support in the most basic areas of learning, such as behavior, socialization, and communication. Collaboration with general education teachers and placement in inclusive settings is critical for a child with ASDs social integration. Recent research on teacher preparation for ASD (Lerman, Vorndran, Addison, & Kuhn, 2004; NRC, 2002; Scheuermann, Webber, Boutot, & Goodwin, 2003) recommends that universities consider adding specialized training within their teacher preparation programs to prepare teachers for the ASD students they will have in their care.

The NRC (2001) reported that one of the clear needs in the field of autism is to increase the number of well-prepared professionals to work with children and their families. To that end, this project will result in a Specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorders, in addition to the Master of Arts and special education teaching license, which would help prepare highly qualified personnel to work with these children and their families. The courses comprising the requirements for the Specialization in ASD are: SPED 585-Introduction to Autism; SPED 586-

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Behavior and Autism; SPED 587-Social Skills and Autism; and SPED 588-Communication Skills and Autism. These courses include patterns of development in ASD, theories of underlying deficits and strengths, research-based general and specific strategies of intervention, inclusive classroom settings and collaboration with support team members, classroom-based approaches to communication, behavior, and social development, methods of evaluating effectiveness, and attention to CLD needs of families with ASD, as recommended by the NRC (2001). Participants who are CLD, as well as students with disabilities will be rigorously recruited to participate in the proposed grant. Impact of NM-PASS on Critical Present and Projected Shortages: In response to the national and state need for highly qualified special education teachers who possess the additional knowledge and skills to work with children with ASD, the proposed project will prepare 21 educators with a graduate Specialization in ASD, in addition to the Master of Arts and special education teaching license. These educators will be familiar with theory and research concerning research-based practices for children with ASD, including methods of applied behavior analysis, naturalistic learning, incidental teaching, assistive technology, socialization, communication, inclusion, language interventions, and assessment, as well as effective ways of working with CLD families. The proposed project aims to increase the knowledge and skills of teachers by incorporating the CEC standards for developmental disabilities/autism into the course curricula. Children with ASD have diverse needs and learn best in diverse contexts; therefore, teachers need to be familiar with alternative sets of curricula and various methods for implementing them. Educators are responsible for identifying the child's needs, using appropriate curricula to address those needs, selecting appropriate methods for teaching the curricula, and ensuring engagement in the activities. In families with ASD, parent training is also a critical component, which in New

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Mexico also requires the skills and knowledge to effectively work with CLD families. Project Goals: NM-PASS will achieve the following goals to provide high quality preparation of ASD specialists with a Specialization in ASD. Goal 1: To prepare 21 highly qualified special education professionals with interdisciplinary and collaborative knowledge and skills based on research-based practices to effectively intervene with CLD children with ASD and their families. Objective 1.1: To implement a recruitment plan for identifying, selecting, and awarding scholarships to highly qualified candidates, with an emphasis on recruiting, admitting, retaining, and graduating high quality special education professionals with specialized knowledge of CLD children and families with ASD. Objective 1.2: To advise/mentor candidates in developing and completing an M.A. program that includes meeting the knowledge and skills competencies for New Mexico state licensure in special education, while ensuring they are prepared to provide services to students with ASD from CLD backgrounds. Objective 1.3: To provide coursework and research-based instruction in the areas of behavior, social skills, communication skills, and working with CLD families, as well as interdisciplinary collaboration with general education teachers and speech/language pathologists. Objective 1.4: To provide high quality practicum experiences within the required coursework that integrates the theory and knowledge with practical application in CLD rural public school settings. Goal 2: To manage, evaluate, and disseminate the activities and models used in NM-PASS to identify any problems and solutions and to share the results regionally and nationally to assist other programs.

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